Chiefs LB Ford accepts blame for costly penalty

Dee Ford didn't mince words or offer up an excuse. The linebacker knows the fact he lined up offside on a pivotal fourth quarter play likely cost the Kansas City Chiefs a trip to the Super Bowl.

"Sloppy football on my end at the end of the day," Ford told reporters on Monday, one day after the Chiefs lost 37-31 in overtime to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. "Whether it was six inches or however many inches, I was offside. "I can't go back and change it. If I could I would, but at this point we can create a new narrative and that's what I'm all about. I'm going to get to work."

The penalty on Ford wiped out an interception by Kansas City cornerback Charvarius Ward with 54 seconds left. The Chiefs led 28-24 at the time. The mistake kept New England in the contest, and the Patriots drove for a touchdown before Kansas City later forced overtime with a field goal.

Ford, 27, said that he will sometimes be warned by an official when he lines up in the neutral zone but it didn't occur on the crucial play. "I can't expect that," Ford said. "I just have to line up onside at the end of the day. I'm not an excuse-maker ... I'm looking right at the ball. Honestly, it's just a critical mistake on my end."

Not the happiest of endings for Ford, but he did have a strong season, recording 13 sacks and earning his first Pro Bowl berth. But in Kansas City sports lore, his name will long be associated with the big miscue.

"That was an opportunity for the whole city of Kansas City to make history," Ford said. "It is what it is at the end of the day. I'll take it on the chest, and I'm going to use it as motivation." Chiefs coach Andy Reid was surprised the officiating crew didn't warn Ford prior to the snap.

"He did have a great season," Reid said of Ford. "He was doing everything possible to try to get to the quarterback. Like I said, it wasn't but by a few inches. I thought it was legitimate. He was -- it looked like on the angle of our camera, at least, that he might have been off by a tad. "Normally, you're warned and the coach is warned when somebody is doing that before they throw it a game of that magnitude. But they did (throw a penalty flag), and he didn't waste any time doing it. He didn't wait until the interception to throw it. He had his hand on his flag right from the get-go, so he saw on his angle and felt that that was the call."

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)